2nd lawsuit filed against operator of failed Michigan dams that forced evacuation of 11K
JAKE MAY/MLIVE.COM/THE FLINT JOURNAL VIA AP
Kendra Tucker, left, and her sister Melissa McCann, both of Sanford, wade into flood waters as they work to uncover lost family heirlooms and belongings in Sanford, Mich. Scores of displaced people are staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads in Central Michigan.
EDENVILLE, MICH. >> The owners and operators of two mid-Michigan dams that failed, forcing the evacuation of 11,000 people, are facing a second lawsuit.
The class-action suit was filed Friday against Boyce Hydro and manager Lee Mueller, the Midland Daily News reported today.
The Tittabawassee River became engorged late Tuesday when the aging Edenville and Sanford dams failed after heavy rain. The river crested Wednesday in Midland, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Detroit. A number of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.
President Donald Trump declared an emergency Thursday.
Morgan & Morgan, Grant & Eisenhofer, and the Jenner Law offices, attorneys in the lawsuit, say the flooding was preventable.
“Despite knowing the threat posed by these unsafe dams, the defendants allegedly refused to pay for much-needed repairs and upgrades,” stated Frank Petosa, spokesman for the law firms.
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The other lawsuit also was filed Friday in federal court in Detroit. It alleges that Boyce Hydro “failed to operate, fix, or repair the dams in accordance with the established standard of care, resulting in catastrophic injury and damage to residents and their properties.”
That lawsuit also names the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The Associated Press has left emails seeking comment from Mueller and Boyce Hydro.
